environmental characteristics database

The MARS spatial database (MARSgeoDB) supports analyses of European waters, providing common reference spatial layers and selected data on indicators of pressures, state and impacts of European waters. It is developed within the European research project MARS (Managing Aquatic ecosystems and water Resources under multiple Stress) in accordance with the WISE (Water Information System in Europe) concept. It is built on the ECRINS (European Catchments and Rivers Network System) spatial database (from the European Environment Agency), consisting of river segments, lakes and functional elementary catchments (FECs). It includes other available European spatial layers, such as River Basin Districts (RBDs), RBD sub-units, coastlines, regions, water bodies as reported under the WFD (Water Framework Directive) in 2010 and WISE SoE (State of Environment) locations.

For spatial objects representing waters in the MARSgeoDB we compiled indicators of pressure, state and impact: physical-chemical indicators, ecological quality ratio, ecological status, chemical status, hydromorphological status, land use, population, nitrogen and phosphorus diffuse pollution, Eurostat agricultural data, UWWTD (Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive) point sources of organic pollution, E-PRTR (The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) point sources of large emissions to water, hydro-morphological changes/naturalness of rivers, meteorological and hydrological characteristics. To calculate pressures acting on selected locations on waters we derived surface water receiving areas (polygons representing catchments/hinterlands). We assigned broad ecological types to rivers (20 types) and lakes (15 types) objects in the MARSgeoDB using abiotic criteria as proposed by EEA ETC/ICM (European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine waters) in 2015. A corresponding water body code and national ecological types were assigned as well.

Spatial and associated attribute data were quality checked, unified when needed, harmonised and interlinked.

Farming, Boundaries, Climatology/Meteorology/Atmosphere, Elevation, Environment, Inland Waters

DPSIR, WFD, WISE SoE, watershed characteristics, rivers/streams, lakes/reservoirs, ground water, ecological status, water quality/water chemistry, discharge/flow, land use/land cover, population density, precipitation, air temperature, agriculture production

Access

all Windows systems

English

web (public)

no

completed

Metadata to the MARS spatial database. Freshwater Metadata Journal 21: 1-7

The use of the content for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged.

Europe: Åland Islands, Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City, Kosovo

EU-28 + NO, IS, CH, LI, AD, RS, BA, AL, MK, ME and XK + Turkey (without Euphrates and Tigris River basins) + part of Syria and Lebanon (Asi River basin) + parts of Russia (Pregolya, Daugava, Neva, Oulujoki, Kovda and Lotta River basins), Belarus (Daugava, Neman, Vistula River basins), Ukraine (Danube and Vistula River basins), Moldova (Danube River basin)
Some layers (feature classes) are not covering all the countries listed above.

Group B: dry (arid and semiarid) climates

Group C: temperate/mesothermal climates

Group D: continental/microthermal climate

Group E: polar climates

Group H: alpine climates

Aegean Drainages, Barents Sea Drainages, Cantabric Coast - Languedoc, Central & Western Europe, Central Anatolia, Dalmatia, Dniester - Lower Danube, Eastern Iberia, Gulf of Venice Drainages, Iceland - Jan Mayen, Ionian Drainages, Italian Peninsula & Islands, Lake Onega - Lake Ladoga, Northern Anatolia, Northern Baltic Drainages, Northern British Isles, Norwegian Sea Drainages, Orontes, Southeastern Adriatic Drainages, Southern Anatolia, Southern Baltic Lowlands, Southern Iberia, Thrace, Upper Danube, Vardar, Western Anatolia, Western Iberia, Western Transcaucasia

Iberic-Macaronesian Region (ER1), Pyrenees (ER2), Italy, Corsica and Malta (ER3), Alps (ER4), Dinaric Western Balkan (ER5), Hellenic Western Balkan (ER6), Eastern Balkan (ER7), Western Highlands (ER8), Central Highlands (ER9), The Carpathians (ER10), Hungarian Lowlands (ER11), Pontic Province (ER12), Western Plains (ER13), Central Plains (ER14), Baltic Province (ER15), Eastern Plains (ER16), Ireland and Northern Ireland (ER17), Great Britain (ER18), Iceland (ER19), Borealic Uplands (ER20), Tundra (ER21), Fenno-Scandian Shield (ER22), Taiga (ER23), The Caucasus (ER24)

rivers, lakes/ponds, groundwater, coastal areas

Different datasets are covered by different data frame. Most pressure and state data are for year 2010. Climatological data are from periods 1961-90, 1950-2000 and 2001-2010.

projected, others others: ETRS89_LAEA

Grid data are available for climatological data, land cover data, altitude as well as slope, population density and population count. Data of different spatial resolutions are resampled on 1 km grid.

 

>1000

There are different numbers of sites in different layers (feature classes), for example: 16694 WISE SoE rivers quality stations, 26794 UWWTD discharge points, 5043 dams, 15016 E-PRTR facility report points. All compiled data have been linked to the ECRINS catchment and river network system when possible.

1 km

total P, ortho P, nitrate, total N, ammonium, hardness, TOC (total organic carbon), oxygen content, BOD5 (biochemical oyxgen demand), water temperature, pH, conductivity, chlorophyll, Secci disc depth, suspended solids

chemical oxygen demand, dissolved organic carbon, dissolved oxygen, Kjeldahl nitrogen, silicate

mean values per site

Proxy stressors for eutrophicaton are also: 1) share of agricultural land in catchment (upstream drainage area), in local drainage area (FEC = functionally elementary catchment) and along the river (buffer/strip area), 2) level of urban waste water treatment, 3) population density and 4) data on agricultural activities such are total yearly input of N and P (tonnes/year).

hydrological information (as HydroBASINS)

catchments, river-sub-basins

land use

dams/reservoirs/barriers

protected areas

population density

environmental variables (freshwater or terrestrial)

climatic variables (current and predictions)

others/specify

polygons: EUROSTAT NUTS, country borders, coastal line, WFD ecoregions (Illies), biogeographical regions (EEA, Habitat Directive), broad hydroregions (IC fish), hydro ecoregions (Rebecca project), WWF hydro regions
point objects: WFD surface water bodies (2010), WFD groundwater bodies (2010) WISE SoE stations, EFI+ stations

no

yes

yes

When linking point pressure/state data to ECRINS hydrological catchments and river network data, spatial quality checks were performed as well as attributive QA checks (river name check, (sub)catchment check).